I skipped Telluride during my first two visits to southwestern Colorado.
Miles-wise, it’s not far from Ouray, my favorite small town in Colorado. But road-wise, getting from Ouray to Telluride requires hours of driving time (there’s a mountain range in the way).
When I finally did make it out to Telluride, I was so glad I did!
Located in Colorado’s San Juan mountains, the area is sprinkled with giant Fourteeners—mountains exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation. The town itself is nestled in a narrow valley, with beautiful mountains in every direction.
NOTE FOR BUDGET ROADTRIPPERS…
As a resort town, Telluride is not a budget stop. The hotels are expensive, the food is expensive, everything is expensive.
So if you’re on a tight budget, make it a day trip and move on.
Top Telluride Summer Activities
Telluride is a very outdoorsy town. The best way to see Telluride is to get outside, enjoy the mountain views, and participate in Telluride’s summer activities.
1. The Telluride Bike Park
During my first visit to Telluride, I was surprised to see mountain bikes everywhere. There were a few tourist rentals, but also a lot of locals running errands. Considering how small Telluride is (the town is only about 6 blocks wide), bicycles are an easy way to get around. But the biggest reason for seeing bicycles everywhere is the Telluride Bike Park.
In the winter, people come to Telluride for its ski slopes. But once the season ends, those ski paths transform into roughly 231 miles of mountain biking trails!
The trails are color-coded and separated by level of difficulty. There’s something for everyone: downhill trails, obstacles and jumps, beginner-friendly routes, technical courses, and multi-use trails that are open for hikers as well.
2. Ride the Free Gondola
Telluride has a rather unique form of public transportation…in the form of a lift that travels up and down the mountain. The gondola runs on a cable and pulley system, carrying enclosed cars that can comfortably sit four people.
The Telluride gondola runs nonstop all day until midnight. Since it is free, you don’t have to worry about getting tickets or reserving a spot. You can simply walk to the gondola station and hop on the next empty car that comes around. Sometimes there is a line, but the wait isn’t long.
The gondola runs from Telluride up to the town of Mountain Village, with the Station San Sophia in between. This midway station provides access to most of the bike trails. Mountain bikers can load their bikes onto racks on the gondola, and take them off at San Sophia to ride in the Telluride Bike Park.
Even if you don’t plan to get off at Mountain Village or go biking, riding the gondola should be at the top of your list for Telluride summer activities. With an elevation change of 1750 feet between Telluride and San Sophia, the view from the gondola is picture-worthy from top to bottom…and it’s all free.
3. Walk the Main Strip
The town of Telluride is laid out in a long and narrow orientation, with Colorado Avenue running lengthwise down the middle. Most of the shops, cafes, and other businesses are located along this center strip.
In between hiking or biking, you can go window shopping or grab lunch along the strip. Many of the cafes have outdoor seating, so you can enjoy your meal with a view of the surrounding mountains. There are also a few breweries and restaurants on the streets leading down to the San Miguel River a few blocks away.
4. Walk the River Trail
One of the most relaxing walks in Telluride is the San Miguel River, which runs along one edge of town. The four-mile trail follows along the riverbank, and offers a peaceful shaded stroll next to the sound of rushing water. The path cuts rather close to houses in some areas, but most of the homes by the river are very pretty and add to the scenery.
While it is mostly used as a walking trail, some people bike along the river trail as well, so just be careful and watch out for bikers. Because the trail runs along one side of town, it also offers a scenic route for traveling from one end of town to the other. You can take the river path and avoid most of the roads.
My friend still doesn’t know she’s in all of these photos lol.
5. Go to a Telluride Festival
If you can plan your Telluride summer trip ahead of time, visit during one of the town’s many festivals. Finding a festival is easy, simply because Telluride has so many! The Telluride summer schedule is full music festivals, film festivals, mountain art festivals, and more. Click here to see a full list of upcoming Telluride festivals.
Even if you can’t time your trip to coincide with a festival, Telluride summers are full of music. Check for outdoor concerts and live music sessions before leaving for your trip. Chances are you will find a show to attend.
6. Hike to a Bridal Veil Falls
If you enjoy hiking, there are plenty of trails in Telluride. As I mentioned earlier, several of the ski trails are designated for hiking instead of mountain biking. So if you want to ride the gondola to San Sophia and hike on some of the ski slopes, that’s definitely an option.
But there are also trails on the other side of Telluride, which take you up into the mountains.
If you had to choose one, I suggest hiking to Bridal Veil Falls. It’s only about a mile hike from the trailhead to the waterfall, although the large elevation change makes the hike difficult. If you choose to visit Bridal Veil Falls, make sure to take the trail instead of walking the OHV trail, which is longer and actually follows an OHV road instead of a hiking trail.
Planning Your Telluride Road Trip Itinerary
As I mentioned before, Telluride is rather out of the way! So if you are planning a Telluride summer road trip, there are a few other places you should stop along the way.
To begin with, the town is only accessible from Highway 145. To the south, the highway runs to the town of Cortez, which is about an hour and a half from Telluride. Whereas to the north, several smaller highways split off of 145, giving you a few more options as to which route you take.
If you are coming from the direction of Cortez, there are at least two stops that you may want to add to your Telluride summer trip itinerary:
Just about ten miles outside of Cortez, this road trip destination is worth the small detour if you like archaeology. This national monument contains thousands of Native American archaeological sites.
Located on the other side of Cortez from the Canyons of the Ancients, Mesa Verde National Park is the place to be if you like touring cliff dwellings. Like Canyons of the Ancients, Mesa Verde has thousands of archaeological sites…and about 600 of them are Pueblo cliff dwellings.
If you are coming down Highway 145 from the north (or even if you aren’t), I suggest visiting the towns of Ridgway and Ouray. Even though Ouray is out of the way, if you are anywhere near Telluride, Ouray should be on your trip itinerary.
I like staying in Ridgway when I visit Colorado, because of its central location between Montrose, Telluride, and Ouray. The Ridgway State Park is a great place to camp if you are road-tripping on a budget (me, always), and hosts a large reservoir as well. Although the water is still very cold in the summer, it’s still fun to go swimming at one of the beach areas in the state park.
Ouray
As much as I love Telluride, the town of Ouray still makes the top of my list of favorite Colorado towns. Known as the “Switzerland of America,” Ouray sure has earned that nickname. It’s one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see, so I definitely suggest fitting Ouray into your road trip itinerary despite the detour.
Do you want to explore more of Colorado? Head over to my blog post on top destinations between Montrose and Colorado Springs. Colorado is one of my favorite states to visit, and I love exploring all that it has to offer.